Culminating Themed Lesson Plans

Lesson 1

Teacher: ​Ms. Easton

Grade:​ 3rd

Subject: ​Literacy

Standards:

- 3.RL.3.2 Distinguish personal point of view from that of the narrator or those of the

characters.

- 3.RL.4.1 Explain how specific aspects of a text’s illustrations contribute to what is

conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or

setting).

- 3.SL.2.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in

groups, and teacher-led) on grade-appropriate topics and texts, building on others’ ideas

and expressing personal ideas clearly.

- 3.SL.2.5 Explain personal ideas and understanding in reference to the discussion.

- (Ethnic studies standard) Standard 1.3: Students evaluate how society’s responses to

different social identities lead to access and/or barriers for ethnic and racial groups in

relation to various societal institutions, including but not limited to education, healthcare,

government, and industry.

Goals

- Students will be able to have critical discussions about a read aloud text as a whole group

and in small groups.

 - Students will be able to summarize the plot and identify the theme of a text from a

different culture.

Objectives

- Students will choose a literacy strategy to interact with a text

- Students will write/draw a summary and identify the theme with textual evidence of a

text in their writer’s journals

- Students will be able to answer questions about points of view in a story as well as how

illustrations contribute to a story line.

Materials

- Pencils (students will need this for writing)

- Writer’s notebooks (students will produce their writing here)

- A critical picture book at grade level. (For this lesson, I will be using “Richard Wright

and the Library Card” written by William Miller)

-
 - Sticky notes (to cover the words in the book for the picture walk) (all students will have

sticky notes as well to write down thoughts they have while the teacher is reading)

Warm up/launch (approximately 10 minutes)

For the book that I have chosen, it is about a boy who loves to read. As a class, we will

talk about all of the different types of books that my students have read. Some specific questions

that will be asked are...

1. What is your favorite book/types of books? Why

2. Where do you get books from?

3. Why do you read?

If students are having trouble answering the questions, answer them yourself.​ After we

have this conversation, I will ask students to imagine if they weren’t allowed to read anymore.

What if they enjoyed reading but couldn’t go to the library anymore and check out books? How

would that make them feel? They will record their answers in their writers' journals and then

some students may share if they want.

Lesson Activities

​First gather all students to the reading rug with a writing utensil and wait for them to

get comfortable then pass around some sticky notes to all of the students. ​Once students are

settled in, the very first thing we will do as a class is make basic observations of the cover of the

book and make predictions on what the story will be about based off of the title and cover. Based

on our conversation during our launch, students may be able to piece together that the boy in the
picture enjoys reading, but he may not be able to have access to books. ​All student predictions

based on the cover will be written on the board to reference at the end of the lesson.

After making predictions based on the cover page, we will do a picture walk as a class

(3.RL.4.1). ​The words in the book should be covered with sticky notes so only pictures are

visible. I​ will flip through each page of the book and ask students to explain what is happening in

the pictures. Some specific questions will include

1. What is going on in this picture?

2. Where does this picture take place?

3. What emotion do you get from this picture? Sad? Happy? Why?

4. What questions are you wondering about in this picture?

Students may also start annotating on their sticky notes at this time.

After the picture walk, I will read through the picture book and my students will utilize

sticky note annotations to interact with the book on an individual level first. This strategy tracks

student’s thinking while reading a text. I am using this strategy to allow students to remind

themselves of all of their thoughts and feelings, but without interrupting the story. ​We will come

back to these at the end. ​ As a class, we have a sticky note code which is…

1. !​ = inference; what do you think will happen next?

2. ? = questions; I wonder…? Why…? How…? What …? Etc.

3. R! = reminder; this reminds me of…

4. Huh? = confusion; I don’t understand…

5. V = visualize; when I read this I visualize…

6. L = what I learned; I learned ________ by reading __________.

 For the first few pages of the book, I will model my own thinking using the strategy

outloud to set a precedent for the students. I​ will read until I find a good spot to use the devices

and then stop reading and say “It looks like here I have a question. I wonder “why can’t Richard

get a library card?” So on my sticky note I will write, why can’t Richard get a library card? And

then keep it to myself to talk about later. My question may even be answered soon!” and then

continue reading to the end of the sentence/paragraph. ​Use a thumbs up/thumbs down system to

assess students' understanding on how to use the strategy while reading.

Once I have finished reading the books, students will be tasked with sticking all of their

sticky notes on the board in our 6 categories. ​This should take about 5 minutes, make sure all of

the sticky notes are relatively in the same categories and transition from the reading rug to

normal seating. ​Once all of the sticky notes have been placed on the board, we will have a

general discussion about the book before looking at the sticky notes (3.SL.2.1 )((3.SL.2.5). Some

specific questions regarding the text will be

1. What was the story about? Plot? Main characters? Problems?

2. Was there a theme/moral? What was it?

3. How would you feel if you were the main character?

4. How do you think the author portrayed the story? Do you agree/disagree? (3.RL.3.2 )

After we have a general discussion about the story and what it means, I will start looking

at the sticky note on the board and choosing some to talk about. This is all based on what the

students wrote down. I will find some questions that were answered later in the book, and some

questions will probably have to be looked up, such as “why couldn’t people of color get library

cards in the 1920s?” By allowing students to utilize their ipads/computers to look up

information, it gives them control of their learning and research. The conversations regarding the

sticky notes will vary on time based on what the students wrote. ​Once the conversation is over,

have students get out their writers' journals for the post activity.

Post Activities

Students will be tasked to write the story from a different perspective. They can do

another character in the story or put themselves in the story. Some questions/statements to

engage them are..

1. Imagine the story through a different perspective.

2. Imagine how someone would feel if that happened today.

3. How does _________ feel in the story?

Students will conduct this task individually at their desks. ​While students are writing, go

to the board and clear it of all sticky notes and writing. Give students about 10-15 minutes to

​ fter students are done writing, some may share if they would like to. ​Once students are
write. A

done reading, have them put their notebooks away and get ready for the next lesson.

Expected outcome

Students will be able to recognize societal barriers for those in a minority group by

interacting with a critical picture book (Standard 1.3). Students will be more self aware while

they are reading and tracking their thoughts.

Lesson 2

Teacher: ​Ms. Easton

Grade:​ 3rd grade

Subject:​ Literacy utilizing drama

Standards:

- TH:Re8.1.3. Consider multiple personal experiences when participating in or observing a

theatrical work.

- TH:Cn11.1.3. Identify connections to community, social issues and other content areas

in theatrical work.

- TH:Cr1.1.3. Create roles, imagined worlds, and improvised stories in a theatrical work

- 3.RN.3.3 Distinguish one’s own perspective from that of the author of the text.

- 3.SL.2.3 Demonstrate knowledge and use of agreed-upon rules for discussions and

identify and serve in roles for small group discussions or projects.

Goals

- Students will create and observe tableaus in small groups

- Students will cooperate in small groups

- Students will see different perspectives within a text

Objectives

- Students will tell a story of an event through different perspectives

Materials

- A critical picture book relating to an inequity. I will be using “Richard Wright and the

Library Card” written by William Miller

 -

- paper/pencils for post activity/assessment

warmup/launch

For today’s warmup, we will discuss as a class what we learned about the book

yesterday. We will talk about the plot of the story and the significance that the students learned

from the book. ​Once student’s memories have been jogged, we will conduct our warm up drama

game. Have students push all desks to the sides of the classroom to make a large open space (the

open space will be needed for the lesson today as well). Students then need to get in a circle. ​The

warmup game is called “freeze and justify”. This warm up game helps students with their

creativity, improv, and justification which are all skills they will be utilizing in today’s lesson.

A few students volunteer (or chosen) to walk around the circle and explore different

movements and poses as music plays. They can move around however they please (crawling,

walking, jumping, rolling etc. as long as they are moving safely). ​Pause the music at a random

​ hen call out the name of a student and

time and the students stop in the position they are in. T

they have to say what they are doing and do that action. It is their job to come up with a story for
the pose. For example, say if they are crawling on the ground, they can say “I’m a tiger hunting

my prey” and then continue to do that action by maybe growling or pretending to pounce on its

prey. ​Call on a few students to justify then get a new group of students into the circle. Continue

this game until everyone has been in the circle.

Lesson activities

After the warmup game, get students into groups of 3-4 and have them sit on the floor

while listening to instructions for today’s activity. ​For today’s activities, students are going to be

creating tableaus. A tableau is a theatrical technique in which individuals freeze in place to create

an important image in a play or text. Students will be doing these today to portray a scene from

the story that they read as a class the day before.

Once the students have heard the instructions of creating a tableau (and what a tableau is)

they may start conversing with their groups. There are several ways that they can create their

tableaus.

1. Choose a scene from the book and create a tableau

2. Portray an emotion that the book gives off using a tableau

3. Create a scene that may have happened in the same time frame as the book

Groups will have approximately 10 minutes to think of and create different tableaus they

would like to present in front of the class. ​I will go around and observe each group and ask what

​ ach group will most likely have

they’re working on and what their final product may look like. E

completely different tableaus but some groups may choose to do similar scenes, which will be

interesting to see their interpretations.

 After the 10 minutes is up, each group will come to the center of the class and create their

tableau. Other groups will be encouraged to look at the tableau closely and to see it from all

angles. Then, I will ask some questions which may include…

1. What do you think is going on here?

2. How do the people in the tableau look? (angry, sad, happy?)

3. How does this make you feel?

Then after the other students talk about the tableau group, the tableau group will be told

to do something else. This works on their improv skills and shows their understanding of their

work because they do not know what they're going to be asked to do. Some of the variations for

the next steps are

1. Add an action to your tableau

2. Add a sound to your tableau

3. What would you do next?

4. Say a line.

5. What are you doing? Who are you in relation to the scene?

This process will happen for each group. Each group will never say what their original

plan of their tableau was, this activity is meant to be subjective. ​Once each group has gone, have

them push the seats back together and go back to their seats.

Post activities

On a sheet of paper, students will write one thing that they liked from another group and

one thing that they learned from another group. Students will then write about how they can use

the information that they've learned the past two days and apply it to their everyday lives
Expected outcome

The students will be able to understand the situation in the story enough to portray it to

their classmates and to improvise what a character in the book might do.
Rational

The student population these lessons are aimed for are for third graders in a public school

setting. The lesson activities can also be used for older grades, but the critical literacy piece and

standards will have to be adjusted accordingly. They are english speaking students who will

learn about the ideas of multiculturalism through literacy in the lessons while still engaging in

Indiana state standards. The skeleton of this lesson plan will remain the same, but a multitude of

children’s picture books can be used. I chose a book that focuses on race and the culture of

african americans during the 1920s in the United States. The main character, Richard, is unable

to get a library card at the public library because he is black. Richard is just a child but loves to

read whenever he can. I chose this book because it is a book that students will be able to relate to

on a certain level. All students in a public school know the feeling of going to the school library

and checking out new books so this story allows them to think about if they were unable to get

books based on their skin color.

The need for lessons such as these two is because third grade is around the time where

children are able to start thinking critically about what they are hearing and reading. They are no

longer struggling to sound out sight words and are starting to read and comprehend more

fluently. By engaging in critical thinking, my students will be expanding their zone of proximal

development.

Students are “worldmaking” as they engage in these lessons, especially the second lesson.

Roswell and Pahl (2015) define worldmaking as “a process of building multiple, shared

interpretive realms out of an array of cultural resources in the service of communicating across

those differences” (p. 568). The piece of critical literacy you choose as a teacher is the cultural
resource and the different realms are the different modalities that are being used to interact with

the text, in this case our modalities include, writing, speaking, acting, moving and portraying.

“Worldmaking” is how students are being diversified through literacy and drama. These lessons

open up possibilities for an entire unit connecting standards from the whole curriculum and can

even engage students in their communities. I chose the topic of race (with socioeconomic status

as well) because I plan on moving to the south to teach where a large population of people is

caucasian. There are some rural parts of the United States where there are no people of color in

the community and children don't see a person of color until they are an adult. That is why I find

it important to teach young students about hardships for those in minority groups.

As an educator, it is my job to create critical thinkers who are able to think and make

rational decisions on their own. Worldmaking students are also “intertwining issues of diversity

and identity with questions of process and becoming, (which) helps to shift focus to activity and

agentive, collaborative work” (Roswell & Pahl, p. 568). Diversity and identity shouldn’t be

something that is taught separate from the curriculum, but something that is intertwined with the

curriculum. Having conversations about the “hard to talk about subjects” is what creates a safe

classroom environment where students feel safe to learn. Communication and collaborative skills

are also another large component of third grade standards.

Another way that the students will be diversified is through the tableau activities.

Tableaus are a theatrical technique used to portray something. It is similar to a still frame in a

text or play. It is also a form of “children’s play”. Children’s play is “a literacy of possibilities,

that is, as a set of imaginative practices that change the meanings of ordinary artifacts and alter

opportunities for social participation” (Wohlwend, p. 556). Dr. Wohlwend also mentions in her
chapter on page 552 that “children’s play involves emotional investments (Jones and Shackelford

2013) and attachments to characters”. This means that the students get invested into what they

are doing and the characters they are portraying during play time (the tableau activity). By

having control of what they are portraying, each student gets to represent their perspective on the

topic and get to hear/see the perspective of others. A black student will most likely have different

life experience than those of a white student that allows them to see the tableaus in a different

way. All of the tableaus are subjective as well, meaning that there is no right or wrong way to

interpret them. When students participate in this form of children’s play, they are diversifying

themselves. They get to see new perspectives from their own.

These lessons can also be used in a larger unit that connects across cultures subjects,

mainly social studies. Social studies, literacy and drama can all work hand in hand to create high

quality diversifying instruction. The students can research their home community during the time

that the book took place and distinguish between facts from their research and fiction from the

book. This would cover standards 3.1.7 ​distinguish between fact and fiction in historical

accounts by comparing documentary sources on historical figures and events with fictional

characters and events in stories ​and 3.1.8​ describe how one’s local community has changed over

time and how it has stayed the same. ​If the community has any museums or libraries, students

can take a field trip to learn more about the history of their community and how it may relate to

the stories that we’re reading in classes. By engaging in the community and researching, students

will be able to tie the curriculum they are learning inside the classroom into their real lives and

carry it with them.

 Resource

The Routledge Handbook of Literacy Studies​, edited by Jennifer Rowsell, and Kate Pahl,

Taylor & Francis Group, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/iub-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3569017.